The Dickinson press., 1887-07-30
Mixing Forest Trees.

There are vital questions to be Oh
sidcred in planting groves. 1t is
probable that the pioneers and adj
vanccd men i'll grove planting have
overlooked one important matter. In
trees, grasses. vegetables and grains,
nature inclines to variety, and they
are all so constituted that no matter
how density crowded. the different
| species seldom hybridiZe. while the
| different varieties of the same species
frequently do. 1t has been found
only in extreme cases that different
species hybridizc, but in no cast do
the different species Of timbers. grains
or vegetables. This is Il provision i'll
nature evidently for agreater purpose.
| that of Il better growth OF mixed for
estry.
In Europe, where tree planting is
more of a science, and to which our
National Horticultural society propo.
SEES sending learned men to take les
sons i'm tree planting, it is IL of their
rules not to confne agrove to any one
species, but the greater the mixture
the better the success. One species
of tree obtains from the soil all the
clements suitable for it's growth,
while it leaves OF rejects that which
is suitable for anothe species. The
different writer's upon the subject
have not settled the exact reason why
a heavier growth and longer life were
guaranteed to trees when there is a
general mixture of the species of for.
estry, yet experiment and observa-
ton have established the fact.
Prof. -Aughey, of Nebraska, a scien.
tilic man OH forestry. strongly urges
the vital Importance of mixing groves.
He says he ''has observed many of the
exclusive cottonwood groves decay
from various causes, when from four
to twenty years of age. This" he
claims, sis only what would naturally
be expected by an European forester.
If they had been mingled with other
trees, such as NAPLES, walnuts, box
elders and lindens, it would probably
have preserved them in tact. besides
making them intrinsically more valu.
able"
Prof. Agassiz, after having visited
all the best artificial groves of this
world as well as the dense sylvas of
Central and South America, was con.
WINGED that the mixture of such a
great variety of species as he found
in the South instead of exhausting the
soil. added largely to its wealth of
fertility. lie found over one hundred
species to the acre. And he was of
the opinion that when natures meth.
cd was violated it tended to dwarf
and shorten the age of trees.
And the Hon. John j. Thomas, a
New York horticulturist of note, says
i'll some of his official publications
that lit is the opinion of some plan.
ters that Il heavier growth may he
obtained from a given extent of land
by intermingling different kinds, each
of which may draw different ingredi.
ents from the soil. or extend their
roots into the earth ut different
depths"
1.-THE ASH" says c. w. johnson. land
more particularly the locust, are VERY
obnoxious to most trees. Then again
the grouping together of certain trees
is particularly grateful to them all
Thus. the larch is Il very good neigh
Dor; the Scotch fir. the birch and til,
Spanish chestnut grow very luxuri
antly together: the oak. the elm, tn,
hazel, and the hornbeam, are yer,
good neighbors."
u In various places in the Unite,